There's little apparent upside for a team when its best players spend more time in the trainer's room than the playing field or court.

But the injuries that kept Long Beach State's starting lineup in flux all season gave a handful of young players a chance for an unexpected baptism under fire.

Most notable for the 49ers in 2012 has been Chisom Okpala, the 6-foot-1 middle blocker from Yorba Linda, and Alex Reid, the 5-11 outside hitter from Aurora, Colo. Both stepped up with big performances this season that enabled the 49ers to rally from the early season woes and take a 16-11 record into their final two matches of the season, against UC Santa Barbara tonight and Cal Poly Saturday (both at 7 p.m.)

Okpala (pronounced O-pala; the k is silent), was expected to back up Haleigh Hampton and Alma Serna at middle blocker and make cameo appearances at most. Instead, she was thrown into the starting lineup the first week of the season.

The player seen in those first weeks - raw, slightly overmatched, and out of sync - has given way to a determined, confident and improving player who has become a scoring force. She has 272 kills and a .329 hitting percentage, and a team-high 112 blocks.

"It's been exciting." said Okpala, who is probable after turning an ankle last weekend. "It was an opportunity to prove myself. I decided I would take every game and learn from it and be a better player in the next game.

"I've had a lot of support. Coach has given me a lot of personal time to get me prepared to play and anticipating the right decisions.

"It helped a lot that Haleigh and Alma believed in me. They pushed for me to get better."

Okpala expected to watch the two returning starters in 2012 as part of her tutorial. Next season, she'll likely start at one middle spot with Hampton, with Serna's return to the team after a suspension still questionable.

"I didn't expect to play much, but I did promise myself I would play hard when I did." she said. "You can practice all you want, but there's a big difference between practice and being in the game. I really love playing right now - learning the basics, covering on an edge, knowing how to tip the ball, how to hold my block and transition to offense."

Okpala comes from a large family. Her parents emigrated to the U.S. from Nigeria when they were in their early 20s, landing in Fresno.

They moved to Orange County and their first generation daughter Chisom - her name means 'God is with you' in her native language - quickly became an athlete.

She ran track as well as played volleyball, but the latter was her first and only love.

Alex Reid is a Denver native who led her Grandview High School team to a state championship appearance as a senior. She was recruited by Georgia, Missouri and Ohio State, but chose LBSU because of its volleyball tradition and the school's kinesiology program.

She was expected to redshirt this season, but the 49ers started the season thin at outside hitter and became even thinner when Delainey Aigner-Swesey broke the little finger on her right hand. She has a 2.23 kills per set average and is hitting .219. She's been in on 31 blocks.

"I told myself I was here to learn and absorb as much as I could this season," said Reid, who bears a facial resemblance to 49er icon Misty May-Treanor. "When I started to play, I just wanted to do whatever I could to help the team. The more I played, the more confidence I gained."

Her breakthrough match was a home date against Hawaii, when she had 16 kills in the first two sets before the Warriors adjusted their game plan and did what they could to limit her opportunities.

"It was the game where I first had a chance to adjust to what an opponent was doing," she said. "I was doing things on the block and on defense I hadn't done before. It was great.

"I just have to keep learning. I listen to the coaches and watch (senior outside hitter) Janisa Johnson and the way she plays, because she does everything amazingly well. It's impossible to watch how hard Janisa plays and not feel that you need to match that intensity."

Other players also found their stride or moved to different positions. Tyler Jackson began the season as the libero but switched to back row defense because of injuries. That included her occasionally taking back row kill attempts.

There were others, too. Chelsea Cabrajac became a starter and improved as a defensive specialist, Tara Roenicke became the full-time setter with the injury to Erin Juley, and true freshman Tiara Wallace was rushed into action when the middle blocker spot got thin.

The 49ers will look to close the season with two wins, extend their winning streak to seven and then wait for Sunday's announcement of the NCAA tourney field while hoping for a longshot at-large bid.